THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 561
in circumference. They have, when ripe, the appearance of fmall canes. The inhabitants make no fort of life of this grain in any period of its growth : the uppermost thin hulk of it is beautifully variegated with a changeable pur- ple colour ; the tatle is perfectly good. I often made the meal into cakes in remembrance of Scotland.
The Abyflinians never could relifh thefe cakes, which they faid were bitter, and burnt their ftomachs, as alfo made them thirfty. I do, however, believe this is the oat in its original Hate, and that it is degenerated everywhere with us. The foil of this country is a fine black mould, in appearance like to that which compofes our gardens. The oat feems to de- light in a moift, watery foil ; and, as no underwood grows under the fhadow of the trees, the plough pafTes without interruption. As there is likewife no iron in th«dr plough, (for is it all compofed of wood) the furrow is a very flight one, nor does the plough reach deep enough to be entang- led with the roots of trees ; but it is the north part of Mait- fha, however, that is chiefly in culture ; fouth of the Kelti all is paflure ; a large number of horfes is bred here yearly, for it is the cuftom among the Galla to be all horfemen or graziers.
All Aroofii is finely watered with fmall flreams, though the Aflar is the largeft river we had feen except the Nile; it was about 1-70 vards broad and two feet deep, running over a bed of large flones ; though generally through aflat and level country, it is very rapid, and after much rain fcarcely pafC able, owing to the height of its fource in the mountains of the Agows ; its courie, where we forded it, is from fouth
Vol. III. 4 B to
